Within the Fire
by SabakuNezumi
Summary: Chiyoko is concerned with her destiny. But when she is stuck at Shigure Sohma's home, along with a young couple who are also cursed, she begins to see that she cannot escape it... Will Chiyoko contain the fires within her heart, or do as fate told her?


_**Author's Note: **_This is the introductory chapter… It introduces the three main characters that I have put in. One is mysterious, you will find out about Chiyoko later. The other two, Cheyenne and Chole, are both from cursed families as well. Now, I had been thinking about this idea since reading the manga (which I recently re-read), and didn't know there were other similar ideas out there concerning a Western Zodiacs…but my idea had never involved a Western Zodiac curse. :P Actually, I find that one kind of odd. Libra, Virgo, how would some of the non-animal versions of those Zodiacs work? I suppose I could find a way…but I had a better idea.

Celtic and Native American Zodiac curses! I thought this idea would be fun, so Cheyenne's and Chole's curses are respectively Celtic and Native American. Let's have fun with this. ;D

And for legal measures… I do not own Furuba, Takaya does. I only own Chiyoko, Cheyenne, Chole, and this plot idea. Kthnxbai! 3

Also… I will not expect too many reviews until the third chapter or so. This chapter is far shorter than my norm, the second will show some more promise.33

_**Chiyoko Yoru**_

The night's cool air did nothing to comfort the running figure. Rain fell upon the earth, weeping for this poor figure.

The figure that had been running…running…running away from everything. Everything. It was too much. Too much. Tears streamed down her face, scratches and bruises covered her from head to foot. She couldn't take it anymore. No. No more.

**_You will never escape from me, dearest one. _**

**_You are mine._**

**_Mine._**

**_You will always be mine._**

**_My _**_brood_**_._**

A loud cry escaped from the girl as she stumbled over a tangle of roots that had grown above ground. She stumbled over into the ditch, landing face-first into a huge puddle of mud. With a grunt, she lifted herself up, but it was no use. She had fallen. She was weak. And that thing… that thing was following her everywhere. Everywhere. She didn't want to admit to it, but the best thing she could do…kill herself? Then she wouldn't have to put up with what she was destined to do…what she was born to do.

The figure collapsed onto the ground. She'd been running for so long… she'd even crossed seas… She didn't know where she was anymore… "I hate this," her voice muttered into the night. The rain came down heavily, and she soon found herself in a world of blackness.

"_This is your duty, Chiyoko. This is what you were born to do. It is your destiny." The girl pushed her palms into her face, shaking her head. She didn't want to accept this. She didn't want to do this. It was cruel. To make sure that all those people never lost their --_

_She paused, and looked upwards. The world around her was completely dark. There was nothing…she didn't even see who had spoken to her. Chiyoko did not want this destiny…she didn't… "But you are going to do it anyways," the loud voice snarled towards her, coming from no direction, and all directions at the same time. It confused her greatly. The King had never followed her this far before… _

The light shone through the opened door, and caused the girl to groan in response to the sudden intrusion. She reached out to her right, finding that she had been hidden under a large blanket. Her hand groped around for something, anything. It met only hardwood floor. _That's strange, _she mused to herself.

"It looks like she's awakening… oh, Yuki-kun! I'm so worried for her!" The melodious voice wafted to her ears, but kept her eyes closed for a moment longer. She wondered where she was… All she could remember, is that she was running through a forest… And her clothes… Oh Goddess, her clothes! Her eyes popped open, bright pools of emerald widening into saucer plates.

"Oh! You're awake!" The feminine voice trilled happily, and Chiyoko sat up to look down at herself. She was wrapped in many bandages, those covering nearly all of her wounds. Shakily, she reached up and ran her fingers through her long, obsidian hair as those emerald orbs took in her surroundings. "I'm very glad…"

Chiyoko turned her glare onto the brunette girl, and she quieted down immediately. The silver-haired teenage boy standing next to her shifted slightly, his steady gaze taking in Chiyoko's appearance. Briefly, the thoughts of_, 'how handsome~' _flitted across her mind, but she batted them down into oblivion. Her eyes softened. "I'm sorry if I looked…irritable… I'm pained… er… who are you two?"

"I'm Tohru Honda! And this is--"

"Yuki Sohma," the teenager answered for her, a small smile crossing his features. He crouched down next to the brunette, and cocked his head to one side. "May I ask your name? One of our other residents found you in the forest not too far from here this morning… Brute left you there, but came to us, in any case."

"Uh… Chiyoko Yoru." She looked away, placing her hands in her lap. "I'm sorry, again. For intruding. Once I feel better, I will be out of your hair…"

This seemed to upset the girl slightly, "Oh… well, I hope you'll be able to get back home, safely, then!" She blinked as Yuki stood up, and he nodded to her lightly before walking out of the room. Tohru turned her ever-bright smile back onto Chiyoko. "But, if I may ask…where do you live?"

"Not here." The answer was simple. Chiyoko noticed that Tohru kept a smile plastered on her face. "From across seas…I…er… Nevermind. I'll be out of your hair soon, though." She closed her eyes, her hands tightening into fists. "I want to sleep again, if you don't mind…ah…Tohru?"

The girl jumped slightly, and nodded enthusiastically. "Alright! I'll bring you some tea when you wake up, if that's okay? You will find us all downstairs when you're up!" She stood up, giving Chiyoko that constant, bright smile.

The girl sighed, laying back down on the cot. She looked around the room, and saw the bed with the pink bedspreads. This must be that girl's room…she saw her belongings (the dingy backpack she had) on the bed, along with a few other things. Chiyoko sighed. How could she end up here, of all places? On Sohma land?

_Damnit! _She growled to herself, turning over sharply. Pain ran through her body, but she didn't care. What kind of rotten luck was this, she wondered?

_**I told you… **  
_

Chiyoko's eyes widened.

**_You cannot escape your destiny._**

_No… no… NO! I WILL NOT DO THIS! NO!_ Chiyoko's eyes closed tightly, tears threatening to overflow… No. She will leave this place as soon as her injuries will allow her. She could not be here. Not now. Not ever…

***~*~*~***

**_Chole Ahanu & Cheyenne Maelin_**

"Hahaha! Yes, I wish we could -- but you know our families would never allow it…" The feminine voice over the phone chuckled, and a soft smile crossed the features of the male on the receiving end of the phone. The steel-gray eyes closed, then became obscured by the dark red hair.

"Ah… but, we're being sent to the Sohma's anyways… all three of the family head's decided it would be good for us… Heh… Akito is a bastard, though. I've met him before… I'll have to keep an eye on you, Cheyenne. It's widely known that Akito…and the rest of the Sohmas do not like their cursed Cat. Who knows what they would do to you."

The female -- Cheyenne -- chuckled. "He can't do shit to me, anyways. Cat I may be…Chinese Zodiac, my family is not… You shouldn't worry, Chole. The Celtic Zodiac "curse" is different from theirs…"Chole sighed deeply, "I know, but you know how I am! Anyways, our flight leaves at 10 pm tonight. I trust I'll be able to see you at the airport?""Oh, yes, love! Surely. I'll talk to you when we meet up…love you~."

"Love you too…" The received clicked off, and Chole sat the phone down. The young man continued to smile, and sighed lightly. His hands clasped onto the opposite arms, and he rubbed them gently. This was going to be fairly interesting, he thought to himself. He and Cheyenne were being sent to Japan to meet with the Sohma's so that maybe their two families could become close. They had spoken with one another in the past, but the Sohma's would usually keep to themselves…

Hell, even the Maelin and Ahanu lines were secretive, before they found out both of their families were similar. They were all cursed…cursed into oblivion. He laughed to himself. He didn't mind his curse, though. Not anymore. Not after meeting Cheyenne. Perhaps his form was far more lonely before, but that was the way he was anyways… now he had a reason for compassion…and because she was the Cat of her family, she gave him the space he needed, as she was quite independent herself. They were perfect for each other, at least he thought so.

But he pondered… He heard many rumors surrounding Akito…and even though he had met the Sohma head once before, he didn't know much. But one thing was known. The Cat of the Sohma's curse was hated. He even heard some strange rumor about a 'second form'. Each family that was cursed had a catch to their curse (as well as a familiar similarity; transformation upon embrace from the opposite sex…this was the same for all of the cursed families he knew about, but they all had their dark sides, as well.), but…he'd never heard something along those lines.

He shrugged it off. Either way, it would give him and Cheyenne a chance to be together for more than a few snatches of time throughout the week. It was a good thing they both knew how to read and speak Japanese, though. This was probably the reason their family was always hard on them about learning other people's cultures. Especially after Ahanu and Maelin became such good friends…

"Well, it's good, I suppose. Those of us with curses need friends in the highest places…" He smiled, looking out the closest window. It was sundown already… He turned and gathered up the possessions he would be taking, and prepared to make his way towards the airport to meet Cheyenne.

From there, would be a whole new adventure for them.


End file.
